


Wait Thirty Minutes

by Marks



Category: Free!
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Pre-Season/Series 03, SportsFest, University, but almost get together, not quite get together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 21:20:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15179639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marks/pseuds/Marks
Summary: School would be fine, Haru was a short ride away, and Makoto had never been interested in competitive swimming anyway – that wasn't where he fit into Haru's world. And that was fine.It was fine.





	Wait Thirty Minutes

**Author's Note:**

> Written for lacksley's prompt in SportsFest 2018's Bonus Round 2: "I love swimming," he said again. He was quiet for a little while. And then he said, "I love swimming— _and you_."
> 
> Also, conveniently, my shiritori this round. Sorry there's no actual get-together, but cut me some slack - this is my first Free! fic.

Everything was going to be so much more than okay, Makoto told himself as he emptied the last of his new boxes and looked around his new apartment. School would be fine, Haru was a short ride away, and Makoto had never been interested in competitive swimming anyway – that wasn't where he fit into Haru's world. And that was fine.

It was fine.

Makoto sat on his new futon and listened to the quiet. Distantly, he could hear thumps from other apartments, but Ran and Ren weren't thundering up and down the stairs, and his mother wasn't calling him for dinner. Nagisa wasn't blowing up his phone with texts every time he bought cream bread, and Rei hadn't sent him a barrage of swim club questions in weeks. He was really, truly by himself for the first time in his life. Freedom! This was the spring of his burning university youth! A new world to embrace!

Makoto twiddled his thumbs and looked out the window at the setting sun. Boredom set in and he felt his eyelids grow heavy as the sun dipped below the horizon. Apparently for Makoto, embracing his burning youth meant falling asleep at seven o'clock.

A sudden knock at the door almost made him jump out of his skin. He paused, pressing a palm to his still-racing heart, and jumped again when another knock followed, louder than the last. It was probably just a curious neighbor, wanting to meet the new occupant, and Makoto panicked about not having anything good to offer them. But it would be ruder to just ignore a neighbor! Makoto climbed to his feet, raced to the door, and threw it open.

"Sorry about the wait," Makoto said, already bowing in apology.

"It's okay," Haruka said. Makoto looked up. He was holding a cardboard box. "I brought pizza."

Makoto blinked. Haru peered around him, looking into the apartment.

"Can I come in?" asked Haru, after a silent moment.

"Oh!" Makoto flailed a little, then stepped aside and let Haru push past him. "Is it a bad time?" Haru put the pizza box onto the small table Makoto put in front of his television and knelt down next to it. He flipped the box open, revealing half-plain, half-mackerel. 

Makoto waved his arms frantically in front of him. "No! I – I just wasn't expecting you." Honestly, he was trying to remember the last time Haru had come to see Makoto for no reason, instead of the other way around, and came up short. Maybe this was Haru's burning university youth style. Makoto couldn't say that he disliked it. Makoto also couldn't say that he liked it – at least not out loud, even though he really, really did. Haru studied him with wide blue eyes and Makoto's shoulders drooped in relief. "It's always nice to see you, Haru."

"Eat," Haru replied, though Makoto noticed his ears were a little red.

After they finished eating, they talked for a little bit. Haru showed Makoto his class schedule and the times when the swim team practiced, then Makoto admonished Haruka for apparently coming to see him before he even unpacked any of his things. Makoto strongly suspected he'd also wind up setting up Haru's apartment; it felt like something he ought to mind, but couldn't bring himself to do so. Friendship, he guessed, was funny that way. Then Haru looked at the clock hanging above Makoto's sofa and declared, "It's time." Then he stood up and started to leave.

"What?" Makoto said, scrambling up after him and grabbing his keys. "Time for what!" he shouted, chasing after Haru down the hall.

"It's been thirty minutes since we finished eating," Haru said. "We can go swimming now."

Makoto stopped walking, then threw his head back and laughed before following again. "I think that's an old wives' tale, Haru-chan," he said.

"Stop calling me that," Haruka said.

They took the train toward Haruka's apartment, though they didn't stop there, instead going straight to the public pool nearby. Haru told him that Makoto could stay over after they were done swimming, even though Makoto didn't have a swimsuit or anything at all other than his apartment keys and the clothes on his back. But Makoto shrugged and said sure, anyway.

"Won't it be closed?" Makoto said nervously as they approached the pool's doors. 

Haruka shook his head. "It's open till eleven on weekends," he said. "I checked." 

Makoto smiled. "Of course you did." 

A dreamy smile spread over Haru's face, one that Makoto couldn't help staring at for a moment too long.  "We can swim late every weekend."

"We?" asked Makoto.

"We," said Haru firmly.

Makoto borrowed a suit from the pool's staff, too thin and too small, but it wouldn't matter much once they were in the water. He padded out to the pool and found Haru already bobbing around; Haruka spotted Makoto, but widened his eyes and looked away almost immediately. It wasn't the first time Makoto had noticed something like that and had wondered... maybe. But he wasn't really ready to face that maybe head-on yet. Maybe soon. The way his heart thumped at the possibility made him think that was probably right. He dove into the pool, making sure to make a big enough splash to soak Haruka's head, and laughed when Haruka glared at him like a wet cat. But soon he was his normal dolphin self, gliding free through the water, and gathering a small crowd poolside, even though there weren't a lot of people at the late hour.

"Beautiful," Makoto breathed out loud, which he didn't mean to do, but an older woman sitting on the edge of the pool made a noise of agreement.

Now it was Makoto's turn to blush and he pushed off the wall into a backstroke, staring up as he tried extending his strokes and thinking about the best way to teach others to love swimming as much as he did. For him, the love started with Haru, even though that wasn't all there was to it now. Still, maybe the secret was a standard issue Haruka with every lesson. Makoto smiled at the thought and stood up again, finding Haru hanging out by his lane.

"Thank you for coming over," said Makoto. "I think – I didn't really realize it, but I think I was feeling lonely."

"Lonely," echoed Haru.

"But swimming with you always helps." Makoto said.

Haruka nodded and even actually smiled, making Makoto's heart stutter again. "Swimming does always help. But," he added, "I'm glad you're nearby."


End file.
